Sydney makes it 5 in a row
A-LEAGUE high-flyer Sydney FC stretched its unbeaten run to five matches but was made to work overtime by an unlucky Melbourne City before securing a feisty 3-1 comeback victory at Allianz Stadium.
Two Sydney goals within minutes approaching halftime proved pivotal last night, as Adrian Mierzejewski cancelled out Luke Bratton’s goal for City, before Bobo put the Sky Blues ahead for the first time in front of 10,688 spectators. While the win strengthened Sydney FC’s hold on top spot, there was little of the silky football on display that was seen in last weekend’s 5-0 Sydney derby victory.
City proved a gritty opponent and could easily have finished sharing the spoils with a dose of luck, but it might prove a costly night for the Victorians with prolific striker Ross McCormack forced off with a muscle injury.
McCormack spurned a giltedged chance approaching the quarter-hour mark, and his match was over after 30 minutes with the league’s leading scorer suffering an apparent calf injury in innocuous fashion. City stifled the Sky Blues in the opening half and had its reward seven minutes before halftime with a goal awarded with the assistance of a video review.
Bratton’s shot from near the penalty spot bounced off the underside of the bar, with play continuing briefly before the goal was awarded by the VAR. But the tide turned within a matter of minutes just before halftime.
Sydney’s in-form midfielder Mierzejewski proved last week’s sparkling free-kick goal against Western Sydney was no fluke, by equalising with a carbon-copy strike in the 44th minute.
The Pole curved his 25metre shot into the top corner of the goal, albeit with a slight deflection and from a less acute angle than in the derby. Remarkably, Sydney FC was in front before the halftime whistle blew. Bart Schenkeveld bundled over Dutch compatriot Jordy Buijs inside the penalty area and the Sky Blues’ Brazilian striker Bobo easily converted the spot-kick in added time.
City was forced to play the final 20 minutes with 10 men after fullback Manny Muscat was dismissed after VAR again intervened to determine that his elbow on Sky Blues fullback Michael Zullo was worthy of a red card.
It wasn’t until the final 10 minutes that Sydney looked to make that advantage pay before a fierce Alex Brosque strike finally took it out to 3-1 with the final kick of the match.